Take Care
by Stuckinmycocoon
Summary: Sequel to Pretending to Care and We Care. Plans change, and Callie doesn't end up where she was hoping. Actions of the past have come back to haunt her. How will she get home to the Fosters?
1. Chapter 1 - Allegations

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Fosters, only the plot and any characters you don't recognize from the show._

_Author's Note: And I'm back again, with the sequel to _We Care_. Some of you may be disappointed with the direction this is heading, but i__nspiration has struck, and I have a basic outline for where I'm going with this. There is going to be drama, and there is going to be fluff. Eventually. Some of the stuff from recent episodes will be in here, some of it is AU. Occasionally I've stolen full scenes from the show, because why rewrite something that already works? Enjoy, and leave a review to let me know what you think, please!_

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><p><strong>Recap:<strong> 10 days after Callie ran away, a doctor called Stef and Lena saying that she was at a psychiatric hospital in Los Angeles after being found on a bridge with the intent to commit suicide. Callie was placed under a 72-hour psychiatric hold, which was then lengthened due to an incident at the hospital. Every day she was there (after the family is notified), one or more members of the family came to visit her during lunch. Also during this time, two significant therapy sessions occurred during which Callie figured out what she wanted – family – and that it was possible for her to have it with people who actually wanted her and cared about her (the Fosters). She's still confused about her feelings for Brandon, but has decided to place a higher priority on getting a family than the possibility of a relationship. On her last day, Bill showed up to take her away, driving her from Los Angeles to San Diego, without telling Callie where he was taking here. So where will Callie end up? Stay tuned!

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Allegations<strong>

"Here we are," Bill said, pulling into an unfamiliar driveway.

"Where is here?" Callie asked numbly.

"It's called Girls United. It's a group home for teenaged girls."

"Why not the Fosters?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Callie, I was planning on taking you there, but then I found out you haven't been honest with me. My supervisor told me about a phone call he received just earlier today. An anonymous tipper informed him that you were in a relationship with your foster brother, Brandon. The tipper said they had heard about it from Brandon directly." He paused. "Callie, I would have hoped that what had happened with Liam would have taught you a lesson about having a relationship with a foster sibling. I know, being a teenager means hormones and whatnot, but you starting to appear...uh, sexually volatile. Relationships with foster siblings are strictly not allowed. As such, we cannot permit you to return to that environment, and it's unlikely you'll get placed with another family with that on your record, twice. You're high risk."

"I was not in a relationship with Liam. He raped me. How can you not get that?"

"That's your version of the story. That's not what the law determined."

"And it was different with Brandon. We shared a kiss, that's all. Dr. Finch and I figured out that I was overwhelmed by everything that was happening and was confusing my feelings. I want a family with the Fosters, with Brandon as my brother, not my boyfriend."

"That's a nice story, Callie, but we take these things very seriously. There will be an investigation. Hiding it has not done you any favors. If it is determined that your story is true, we may be able to revisit the idea of placing you with them, provided they are still willing to have you."

"And Jude?"

"There has been nothing to indicate that Jude should not stay there. Unless you wish to inform me of something?"

"No! No. He's perfect. They're perfect for each other. I'm the problem child."

"You're a teenager, Callie. Teenagers tend to act out more. And you know teenagers are the hardest to place. Jude will soon be a teenager, so if this doesn't work out, it's going to become progressively more difficult to place him, even by himself."

"They want to adopt him. They want me, too."

"At this time, there are no red flags on his paperwork. Only your's. But if it is determined that your foster parents knew that you and their son were having an illicit relationship and did nothing about it, we might have to reconsider their fitness as adoptive parents."

"They didn't know. And there wasn't a relationship. One, single kiss, during a wedding no less where lots of people kiss, does not equal a relationship."

"The details of the relationship have yet to be determined."

"Why are you not listening to me?"

"Callie, you don't have a very good track record with telling the truth. You claimed you destroyed a man's car because he was beating your little brother–"

"He was."

"–and yet there's no evidence of that. You claimed your foster-brother raped you, and the courts didn't even put him away for statutory rape, which would have happened, given any sexual contact between the two of you because of the age difference."

"What I said was enough for you to remove Sarah from that house."

"We take these allegations very seriously, and while you may have elaborated on some of the details, any kind of romantic relationship between foster siblings is strictly forbidden. So we removed her for the same reason that we are removing you from the Fosters."

"This is messed up."

"You're entitled to your own opinions, Callie, but remember, you brought this upon yourself and CPS has to consider both your safety and the safety of the other children in the house. We think this is the best option for you at this time. As I said, we will revisit it after an investigation has been made into the exact nature of your relationship with Brandon Foster."

"Stef and Lena?"

"They will be informed of your presence here, as they are the current custodians of your younger sibling so any visiting arrangements between the two of you will go through them, unless something unexpected arises. They will also be informed of the allegations about you and their son, Brandon, and will have a chance to air their views on it. It may be that they don't want you in their household once they find out what you've been up to with their son."

He looked at Callie. The anger had fled her body completely, she had stopped defending herself and her actions, and was just sitting in the passenger seat of the car, slumped over and withdrawn. "I don't say this to be cruel, Callie. I realize that you have just gotten out a psychiatric stay, and I don't wish to upset you. But it is better for you to be prepared for all possible outcomes and to be realistic about it." She stayed still, unwilling to even look at him. "Let's go inside, so you can see your new home."

Callie grabbed her bag, and followed him up the steps to the front porch. She studied the sign on the door – 'Girls United: Home for Troubled Girls Working Towards Establishing Trust, Self-confidence, and Personal Leadership.' _Troubled girls...I guess that's all I am now, a troubled girl. There's one for the file that is all I am._ He rang the doorbell.

A woman answered. "Hi, Bill," she said. "Hi Callie. I'm Rita. Welcome to Girls United. C'mon in." She motioned Callie and Bill through the door. "I'll show you to your room after you meet the girls. There are seven girls who live here full-time. Actually, one just went home yesterday, so your timing was kinda perfect." She gave Callie a small, lopsided smile.

"We appreciate your taking Callie on such short notice," Bill interrupted.

"Do I have to share a room?" Callie asked, turning to Rita.

"Yes, you will," Rita answered.

_Well, I guess that was to be expected. _"Why are there no bars or security gates? How do you lock us in?" she asked instead. This house seemed contrary to the stories she had heard from other girls who had been in group homes.

"We don't. We trust that you won't leave the premises but if you violate that trust, then there are consequences. You go to a place where there are bars and security gates, like juvie or a more restrictive group home. The choice is really your's." She paused, allowing her words a chance to sink in. "Hey girls, come meet Callie."

Girls started coming from all doorways and all corners of the house, walking past Callie towards a living room and giving her a once-over in the process. She felt like a fish in a fishbowl must feel, and dipped her chin, raising her eyes ever so often to see the figures passing before her. One girl caught her eye and, surprised, she looked squarely into the other girl's face. The last time she had seen this girl was when her face met that girl's fist on her last day in juvie. And from the look on the other girl's face, she also recognized Callie.

Rita motioned Callie into the living room before her, where Callie took a vacant seat. Bill hovered in the background; she got the feeling he wanted to be unobtrusive, but needed to stick around for some reason. _Probably to talk to Rita._ "Okay ladies, you all know how this works. We're going to go around the room, tell a little about yourself – your age, where you're from, how long you've been here, why you're here, alright? Why don't you start us off, Kiara, since you're Callie's roommate and you'll be her sponsor?"

Kiara turned out to be one of the two African-American girls, though not the one Callie recognized from juvie. _Thank God juvie girl's not my roommate._ "Hi, I'm Kiara, I'm fifteen. I've been in juvie like, three times...no, four. The first time I got arrested was for throwing bricks at a building when I was like 11, then for gang stuff, you know-" _well, as long as she doesn't try to knife me in my sleep, I can deal with that_ "-possessing and stealing drugs, assault with a deadly weapon, but that was like, not my fault-" another girl smirked at that disclaimer "-anyway, that's me."

The girl next to her began speaking. "Um, I'm Becca, I'm sixteen-"

"Oh, and I've been here two months," Kiara added, interrupting Becca mid-sentence. "And I'm always interrupting," she said, looking a little embarrassed.

"Yes, you are," Rita said.

"Yeah, so, Kiara's been interrupting me the four weeks I've been here."

"Becca, feet," Rita gestured towards Becca's feet, which she had tucked up on the couch. Callie filed that away in her mind – this was not Dr. Finch's couch, which didn't care if you put your feet up. Also, that everybody seemed to interrupt the girl Becca.

"I'm in for drugs, using and selling, and I like, punched a cop. I was shooting drugs in my neck before I came here, so if I wasn't here I'd probably be dead now." She shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm Carmen," the girl next to her said. "I'm seventeen, I..uh...want to join the Army...Are we supposed to say what we want to be?" She turned to Rita.

"That's okay, honey, keep going," Rita encouraged.

"So, like, I've been in this home for six months-" _long time_ "-in juvie three times for gangs, drugs, uh, what else?"

"Kidnapping," Kiara provided helpfully.

"Yeah," Carmen admitted, exhaling a sharp breath.

"Really?" Rita asked Kiara.

"She asked," Kiara defended herself.

"Okay. Zip it. Cole, you're up."

The girl in boy's clothes started talking. "My name is Cole, I'm fifteen, I've been here three weeks. I hate it. " _Someone's honest._ "What else?"

"Why you're here," Rita prompted.

"Stealing and prostitution," she – he? – said bluntly, without any sign of embarrassment.

"Thank you for sharing. Daphne, you're up."

_Juvie girl._ "I'm Daphne, I'm seventeen, been here about six weeks. In for gangs, drugs, armed robbery, and assault." _Including me?_ Callie thought.

"Oh, and just so you know, Callie, we have a zero tolerance policy for violence. If you put your hands on anyone else, you'll be asked to leave, no exceptions, alright?" Rita interjected. Callie nodded, but inside she wondered how well enforced that policy was. Was she truly safe, or was that just the byline?

"I'm Gabby, I'm fifteen. I've been here a month, and I'm in for home invasion robbery and cyberbullying." From the look in her eyes as she was talking about it, she felt no shame about any of it.

"So now you know a little bit about everyone, so why don't you tell us a little about you?" Rita prompted Callie.

"I'm sixteen, I ran away from my last foster home. I did a stint in juvie for destruction of property about 10 weeks ago."

"That all you want to share?" Rita asked with a knowing look.

_Yes. My life is none of your business. My stay in the crazy house is none of your business._ "I don't belong here." _Bite on that. _

Rita nodded. "Anyone else feel like they don't belong here?" Hands went up all around. "Okay. Happy to have you, Callie. Thank you ladies, you can all go back to whatever it is you were doing now. Kiara, why don't you show Callie upstairs, get her settled in?"

"Sure. C'mon Callie, I'll sure you where you'll be sleeping." Kiara led Callie upstairs, but as she turned on the landing, Callie saw Rita and Bill talking. She wondered what they were talking about, what Bill was telling Rita, how much Rita knew about her.

"So, this is our room. This is my stuff, leave it alone, you get that half," Kiara said, motioning towards the side with the bare bed. "There are sheets and stuff in the hall closet. Here, drop your stuff, I'll show you." She led Callie back out of the room and down the hall. "Bathroom, closet where there are extra towels and sheets and stuff, those are the other girl's rooms..."

"Rita live here, too?"

"Staff room is downstairs. Another woman, Michelle, she works here too sometimes, nights and weekends mostly." They went back to the shared room.

"So, what do we do here?" Callie asked, starting to make her bed.

"School, chores, group, the occasional field trips, every once in the while we get to go to the mall. Saturday's family day. If you've got your privileges, you can have visitors. Well, family anyway, not boyfriends. Gabby keeps trying to sneak her boyfriend in. You got?"

"Got what?"

"Family. Or a boyfriend, except we're not allowed to have those in here."

"I have a little brother."

"I have a brother. That's him," she said, pointing to a picture on the wall. An older brother, Callie noted.

"Does he ever come visit you?"

"Nah, I don't know when I'll get to see him again; he just got twenty-five to life." _Oh_. "We should go downstairs, it's nearly dinner time."

"Is Rita a good cook?"

"Rita? Dunno, she doesn't cook for us."

"Then who does?"

"We do. We do everything around here, the cooking, the cleaning. There's a chore roster – Rita'll explain it to you. It's supposed to help us learn responsibility and to prepare us for when we're on our own. They teach us how, like give us cooking lessons and stuff."

"Oh."

"If you don't know, you'll learn. And you won't be put on as chef until you can make something edible."

"Good to know."

Callie noticed most of the girls in the kitchen, seemingly hard at work. "Bout time you got here, girl. I thought I'd have to do this all by myself," Daphne said to Kiara,

"I was showing the new girl around."

"Well, you done now, aren't you?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kiara said, joining Daphne over a small mountain of vegetables.

"Callie?" Rita's voice called. "Come here, would you?"

Callie followed the voice to a nearby room. "Yeah?"

"Bill said to tell you goodbye. We had a nice chat."

"Okay..."

"Look Callie, I'm not going to force you to share things, if that's what you're worried about. That's not my job. I hope you will, sharing is very therapeutic. Speaking of therapy, he told me that one of the conditions of your release was individual therapy, so I'll set something up for you. Also, he told me that you were in a relationship with your foster brother, in whose family your younger brother remains. I'm not going into the details of why that's a bad idea, because simply speaking, boyfriends and girlfriends are not allowed for anyone in here. Once you leave us, it becomes an issue for someone else to handle. Alright?" Callie nodded. "I would like verbal confirmation."

"Alright."

"Well, that's settled then. Kiara tell you about this place? Do you have any questions for me?"

"Yeah, what is your job?"

"My job?"

"Well, Kiara said the girls do the cooking and cleaning, and you just said it's not your job to force me to share things, so I was just curious where exactly you fit in all this?"

"Well, mostly I'm here to encourage peer accountability. Which, in layman's terms means, I'm the referee."

"Okay."

"Anything else?"

"How do I get my privileges?"

"The girls in the house vote on them."

"Kiara mentioned a chore roster?"

"Right. Can you cook?"

"Some. Not like, full dinners, or anything."

"We have cooking classes fairly regularly, food from a lot of different cultures actually, so you'll learn more. Here's the chore checklist – you'll rotate in where your predecessor was. The girls will show you. Cole is kitchen foreman this week, so he'll check off on your work."

"Peer accountability."

"Exactly. See Callie, you're getting the hang of things already."

"When can I see my family?"

"Your brother? Family Day is on Saturday, if you've got your privileges."

"My foster family?"

"The one your brother is still with? They can come on Saturday too if they want."

"Okay."

"DINNER!" a voice called out.

"Oh, and there's the call for dinner. Let's go eat, shall we?" They went into the dining room, joining the rest of the girls for a dinner of chicken stir-fry. The other girls talked throughout dinner. Callie just listened, learned, and wondered how Jude and Stef and Lena and Mariana and Brandon and Jesus were doing, and if they were busy eating a happy meal together, or if her absence was noted. _See,_ an insidious voice inside her head said, _this is what happens when you hope, when you open up. You just get hurt. Maybe it's all for the best. Let them get on with their lives, and you, well, wait and see. Once you're sure Jude is safe and adopted, then maybe, if things aren't any better..._


	2. Chapter 2 - Stories

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Fosters, only the plot and any characters you don't recognize from the show._

_Author's Note: Well, in introducing the new story last chapter, I forget to mention this, but who loved Monday's episode (1x15 – Padres)? That scene where Callie was bawling on Stef's shoulder. And her little smile when she sees Jude calling Lena 'Mom'. And Jude talking to his biomom through the Ouija board with Connor (Connor totally pushed it, didn't he? Such a sweet kid.) Just three of many excellent scenes. I loved that episode so much! I started to write this story after watching it. Anyway, just had to gush a little about that. But without further ado, I give you chapter 2!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Stories<strong>

Riiiiing. The phone rang out in the Foster household, and Lena jumped on it, eagerly awaiting a phone call from Dr. Finch telling them if they could take Callie home today. After her conversation with Bill yesterday, he had given a cautious approval for them to bring Callie home once she got released, subject to his conversation with Callie herself and Callie's doctor. When Stef had told her about Callie's breakthrough, Lena was sure that Callie would vote to come home. They already had the doctor's approval. It was practically a done deal. The only question left was, would it be today? Tomorrow? She worried a little about actually bringing Callie home, given the teen's fragile state of mind and the whole cutting thing – _what if one of the other kids saw her do it, thought it was okay for them to?_ – but she was confident that she and Stef could handle it. They're a power team.

"Hello?" Stef watched Lena answer the phone, waiting for the same call as her spouse. Honestly, they'd been waiting all day for this; it seemed a little late in the afternoon to be making the drive to San Diego and back, but Stef would do it at 2 am if that's what it took. In a heartbeat.

"Oh, hi Bill." Not the call then. But Bill was going to see Callie today. Maybe he'd finally confirm once and for all that they could bring her home.

"...What?...Uh...No, of course not, you just took me by surprise is all...Are you sure?...What do you mean, we don't know what's going on under our roof?...Well, if that's what Callie said, I believe her...I wouldn't believe everything you hear either, and that's including your anonymous source...totally different scenario, Bill, you know that. Are you this careful with every allegation of this kind? As you said, the Olmsteads, and with Callie and Jude's last foster father, what's his name...He had a gun pointed at her; I'm pretty sure that there was something going wrong in that house...We really haven't had any problems with Callie and Jude at all, except the running away but if her psychiatrist thinks that our home is good for Callie, then she's not concerned...I don't know, ask her...if Stef knew anything, I'd know...I'll talk to Brandon, of course...What about Jude?...Of course not...I'm sure this is nothing, but you have my word, I'll look into it...You'll be hearing from us, too...Wait, before you go, can we at least see her? Can Jude?...Okay, thanks, bye." Lena hung up the phone after writing some information down on a piece of scrap paper.

"That did not sound like a happy conversation, love," Stef said, turning worried eyes on her equally worried wife.

"That was Bill," Lena said.

"Yes, I got that much."

"He went to the hospital to talk to Callie, and checked her out of there. He can do that, she's still a ward of the court."

"And?"

"And he dropped her off at a group home somewhere in San Diego. It's called Girls United."

"WHAT?! Why?"

"He said he was planning on bringing her to us, that the doctor signed off on it and Callie wanted it, but then he was contacted at the last minute by an anonymous source claiming Callie and Brandon were in a relationship."

"Oh." Stef's face fell. "How'd that get out?"

"I don't know. I don't know who the source is. I don't know if it's even someone who knows the truth or it or is just trying to cause trouble. It could be Liam for all we know, trying to defame her character further."

"And?"

"Callie admitted that they kissed once but it meant nothing. That she was confusing all the emotions inside her, and that there wasn't a relationship nor did she want one. She even said, according to Bill, that everybody kisses at weddings, like that made it alright. Bill seems to think that she's lying, acting like a teenager trying to pull the wool over all our eyes."

"It's hard to say what's true and not. Brandon said he loves her. Dr. Finch told me that, in therapy, Callie seemed to be wanting a family more than a boyfriend."

"Are you saying it's one-sided?"

"I'm saying I don't know. I mean, I know we talked about this and all, that we would still adopt Jude and just be Callie's legal guardians until she turned 18, if they wanted to pursue a relationship, but this changes everything."

"You can't turn a blind eye under the spotlight."

"Exactly. What did you tell Bill?"

"That we had no idea. That we'd talk to Brandon. That he should believe Callie. Then he had the nerve to bring up Callie's history with Liam and even that incident in San Ysidro."

"Neither of those were her fault!"

"I know that. You know that. He doesn't seem to know that. Says it speaks to her character and doesn't say good things."

"What now?"

"He's says that there's nothing to indicate Jude should be removed from the house."

"That's something to be thankful for."

"We can visit Callie at the group home, but we have to arrange it with Rita, the coordinator, first. He gave me her information. He's starting up an investigation to see if there's any merit in these allegations. He was willing to admit that if it really was just a meaningless kiss, and if all parties were okay with it, Callie could come home and we could even go through with her adoption."

"An investigation."

"Yeah."

"Get ready to have our lives gone over with a fine-tooth comb."

"We better get our stories straight. Us and the kids. If we reveal that we knew about this beforehand, it could seriously harm us. They might – might – even determine us unfit parents, if we're really unlucky."

"Unfit parents? Jude would be taken, too, then."

"And even the twins' adoption might come under scrutiny. Brandon's biological, and he has a living father who is present in his life and could take him theoretically, so he's safest."

"A father who is also under investigation," Stef couldn't help but add.

"We need to talk to Brandon."

"He'll be home from piano soon." Just then, the door opened.

"Hey moms!" Brandon's voice called out. "Did you hear anything about Callie? Is she coming home today?"

"Brandon Michael Foster, we need to talk," Lena called out.

A very nervous looking Brandon entered the kitchen. "You middle-named me. That's not good. What did I do now?"

"You kissed Callie."

"I thought we talked about that, already," he whined. "Remember, you got mad at me, pretty much accused me of being another Liam, then you got over it and said that you needed to talk to Callie about it and then we found out that she was in the psych ward and you decided that we would figure something out so Callie could come home anyway because she needed us. Did I dream that whole thing? Why are we revisiting this?"

"There was still a lot that needed to be worked out, but we could have made it work. But someone, don't know who, told Bill."

"Oh. Not good."

"Understatement of the century, young man. Callie's in a group home."

"WHAT!?"

"That's what I said," Stef interjected.

"Once you're in a group home, you're considered like high risk. She told me. No one will ever want her again."

"We still want her. That hasn't changed."

"Well, that's not what she's going to think." Brandon was getting angry.

"We don't know that, we don't know what she thinks, we haven't been able to talk to her yet."

"Brandon, I get that you're upset," Stef said, soothingly, trying to redirect her son's anger. "But when I was at the hospital with Callie yesterday, she seemed to know that we wanted her. I don't think this would have changed that for her. And now we have to focus on how to get her back."

"Oh. But I thought you said Bill knew."

"Bill receives an anonymous tip that you and Callie were in a relationship."

"Who told him?"

"Anonymous, Brandon. We don't know. We don't even know if the source knows what he's talking about or just making stories to cause trouble. What we do know is that, when confronted about it, Callie admitted that the two of you shared a single kiss. Is that true? I need you to be 100% honest with us right now. It's really important."

"Yes. We kissed once. At the wedding. There was some attraction there, beforehand, but we only ever kissed once."

"Callie also told me that she was confusing her feelings, and that she didn't actually want a relationship with you, other than as a sibling. You told us that you love her." Brandon was silent. "Brandon, we need to know what's going on here. Whatever it is. We need to know so we can plan on how to bring her home."

"Look, it was only supposed to be temporary, alright? The fostering, I mean. She's a great girl, and she's been through hell. I felt...I don't know...protective of her, I guess. I thought that was because I liked her. And then we just got caught up in a moment, at the wedding. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was just feeling protective, like a brother should. I guess I got all messed up when she ran away. Maybe my feelings are confusing me, too. Can we just put it all behind us, so we can be a family again? If Callie says she wants to be adopted, and wants me as her brother, and if that's what I want to, then why not?"

Lena raised an eyebrow at Stef. He sounded penitent. "And we should trust you?" Stef asked.

"Yes."

"Well, then, if that's how you truly feel, than we'll tell Bill that. And he'll probably want to hear it from you, too, so stick with the story, but for God sake's Brandon, if you feel the need to change it, give us some warning. Also, he can't know that we knew about your kiss before his phone call today. If he found out we knew and didn't do anything, didn't inform him, we could be in a lot of trouble. It would certain jeopardize both Callie's _and_ Jude's adoption. May create even more trouble than that."

"Well, you didn't know about it. Not until I told you, after she ran away."

"Yes, but we were still planning on bringing her back into our home with no one the wiser."

"Okay, I get it. If Bill asks, that's what I'll say."

"Good. Now go do your homework."

"Wait, one thing."

"Yeah?"

"When will you talk to Callie? Find out about the group home? Tell her she's still wanted?"

"We'll place a call to the coordinator later, and find out."

"Let me know?" They both gave him a long look. "Not because I'm in love with her. God, moms. I just care about her is all. Like...like I would worry about Mariana."

"Okay. We'll let you know," Lena said. He nodded and went upstairs.

"You buying it?" Stef asked Lena, once Brandon was out of earshot.

"I have no idea. I really, really want to, though."

"Yeah, me too."

"I guess that's the story then. Confusion, caught up in the moment, no romantic feelings, and we didn't find out about it until Bill's phone call."

"Let's hope that the phone call is the only part of that story that's a story."

"Callie and Brandon haven't spent enough time together since the wedding to have come up with that between them. So either they've independently determined identical cover ups..."

"As a cop, I can say that's unlikely, but not impossible, especially since we gave him Callie's story."

"So we trust them."

"We need to talk to Jude, too."

"Let's wait until after I give this Rita person a call and find out about when he can see Callie. You know that's going to be his first question."

"At least we finally got him out of the house, even if we had to swear to call him the minute we knew for sure if Callie was coming home today."

"Yeah, that Connor's a good friend to him."

"He'll be home after dinner. We'll talk to him then."

"You said you had the coordinator's contact info? Why don't I give her a call while you start dinner, since we're going to have some hungry teenagers soon. Angsty teenagers, once they find out Callie's not coming home right away."

"Mac and cheese?"

"Comfort food supreme. You're the best, woman."

"And don't I know it." Lena started pulling out the makings for mac and cheese, while Stef found the scrap paper Lena had been writing on. There was a name – Rita Hendricks – and under it, the words 'Girls United' and a telephone number. A local number, given the area code. _Well, that's something, _Stef thought. She dialed the number, Lena listening in.

"Hello, is this Rita Hendricks?...Hi Ms Hendricks, my name is Stefanie Foster. Callie's case worker gave me your information...yes, that's right...I was wondering when we could see her...Saturday? That long?...wait, maybe Saturday...can I at least talk to her, find out how she's doing?...I realize that may be your policy, but Callie was only released from a psychiatric hospital today, so I think you could make an exception to your policy, especially given that one of the reasons she was there was because she felt absolutely alone in the world and unloved. My wife and I would like her to know that even if she's not living with us right now, we still love her...that's not good enough, even prisoners get phone calls; I should know, I'm a cop...after dinner? That'll do. Thank you." She hung up the phone.

"That didn't sound to good."

"She was spouting policy at me and all I wanted was to talk to my child and find out if she was alright and make sure she knew we love her no matter what. We can't see her until Saturday, and even that's a maybe dependent on whether or not she gets her privileges. That Rita wasn't even going to let me talk to her, but I convinced her to allow Callie to give us a call after dinner."

"That's obnoxious."

"I know, right? I mean, I'm sure they have their reasons and all...you know, actually, I'm going to go look into this place, make sure it's on the up-and-up."

"Yes, do. Callie deserves the best. No more abusive homes for her, if we have anything to say about it."

"I agree, completely." Stef went upstairs to get her laptop, passing Mariana's room as she did.

"Mom!" Mariana called through the open door.

"Yeah, sweets?"

"You guys have been on the phone a lot today. Is it about Callie? Is she coming home today? Why didn't you go visit her during lunch? If she's not coming home today, can I go with you to see her tomorrow?"

"Whoa, Miss Thang, one question at a time, please. Yes, the phone calls were about Callie." She noticed Jesus peeking around the door and beckoned him to join them. "No, she is not coming home today. She was discharged from the hospital, but Bill decided to place her in a group home."

"A group home! Why?"

"Apparently, somehow he found out that she and Brandon shared a kiss, and that's just not allowed."

"How'd he know?" Jesus asked.

"Don't know. An anonymous source. You guys don't know anything about that, do you? Ever mention it to someone, even in passing?"

"No."

"Nope...well, I never said anything, but I think a couple people at school might have been suspicious."

"Yeah, who?"

"Wyatt, maybe, and Talya. I think Talya was jealous of the attention Brandon paid to Callie, but they both denied it."

"And at that party I wasn't supposed to be at, I heard Callie and Talya talking about Brandon. Talya said that she was wrong to think Callie had a thing for Brandon," Mariana added, looking a little shamefaced to be talking about the night she got drunk.

"Do you think she would do something like this, as revenge?"

"Doubt it. Besides, aren't she and Brandon a thing again? Why would she need to get rid of Callie?"

"Callie did run away with Wyatt, she might have told him."

"Your mama and I spoke to Wyatt. He was genuinely worried about her, and relieved when we called him after she was found. I don't think he'd do this, especially when he had the chance to keep them apart simply by not talking to us and keeping Callie with him all the way to Indiana."

"I don't know if anyone else knows."

"Mama thought it could even be someone who doesn't know, just trying to cause trouble."

"Who would do that?"

"Liam, maybe, especially if he wanted to defame her character before the trial. But afterward? Can't see the reason for it."

"Is Callie ever coming home? I want her back here, in our room."

"We'll get her home. We'll all fight for her. But listen, head's up. Bill might be coming around, asking some questions about the nature of Brandon and Callie's relationship. We talked to Brandon, who reneged on his professions of love. He says they shared a single kiss after being caught up in the moment, there were some confusing emotions involved, and there's no desire for a romantic relationship."

"Is that the story, or is that the truth?"

"Honestly, I don't know. But unless you know something I don't, we're going to accept it as the truth for now, so if Bill asks, no stories of star-crossed lovers, please. This is not Romeo and Juliet. This is not a Lifetime movie." Mariana giggled. "Oh, and nobody knew anything about any kiss until Bill called today to tell us. At least, your mama and I didn't know. Understand? That could get us in a lot of trouble."

"We get it, right Mari?"

"We get it. Whatever needs to be done to bring Callie home."

"I just hate the thought of asking you guys to lie for us."

"It's not like it's really a lie, that, just the truth stretched a little. And we're family, and family has each other's backs."

Stef smiled, and kissed both their foreheads. "Dinner soon. Mama's making mac and cheese. I'm going to look into this group home Callie's at, make sure it's a good one."

"You do that." Stef grabbed her laptop from her bedroom and took it back downstairs to the kitchen. While the information she had access to at home wasn't quite as good as what she would get once she got back to the precinct, she was able to find some things out. The group home had been around for a while, and the current coordinator had been there six years. A basic background check revealed no criminal history; she would need the precinct's resources to figure out more than that. There were no pending cases against them. They must be on CPS's good side if Bill dropped her there; but then again, as overworked as CPS was, places could always fall through the cracks. The house could fit a maximum of eight girls, so they weren't trying to make money by squashing as many as possible together like sardines in a can. When it become time to sit down for dinner, Stef had come across no red flags, though she wouldn't trust that until three things happened: 1) she got access to the precinct's resources; 2) she talked to Callie; and 3) she saw the place for herself.

"Anything?" Lena asked.

"No red flags. I'm cautiously optimistic that it's safe for her, but more telling will be what Callie says herself after we talk to her tonight."

"Provided she can talk freely."

"That's true."

"Rally the troops?"

"Sure." Stef stored the laptops and yelled from the foot of the stairs, "Kids! Dinner!"

Lena rolled her eyes, but she was wearing a smile. "I could have done that."

Jesus got downstairs first, followed closely by Mariana. When Brandon didn't appear shortly, Lena said, "Jesus, go get Brandon. He's probably wearing his headphones and didn't hear your mom."

"Why me? I'm hungry"

"You're the athletic one. Sooner you get him, sooner we eat. Now go." Jesus turned and ran back upstairs, yelling, "Brandon!" Within seconds, the sounds of two pairs of feet thumping down the stairs proved his mission to be a success.

Lena served them all, Jesus squirted gobs of ketchup on top of his, and they all sat down to enjoy dinner. It was fairly quiet, until Mariana asked, "What about Jude?"

"What about him, sweets?"

"Does he know?"

Lena sighed. "Not yet. He's having dinner with Connor's family tonight, so we'll tell him when he gets home."

"He's going to take it hard," Brandon said.

"Well, if you'd just been able to keep your hands off our new sister..." Mariana said.

"This isn't my fault!"

"You sure about that? If you liked her so much, why'd you say we could adopt her?"

Stef shut down the budding argument before it could escalate. "Guys, enough. Arguing and blaming isn't going to accomplish anything. We need to face this together as a family. We need to be strong for Callie, and for Jude, since their continued separation is going to be hard on him. We need to put up a united front for Bill, understand?"

"Yeah, mom."

"Yeah, mom."

They finished dinner in silence. Brandon penitently started to do the dishes, while Mariana and Jesus went back upstairs to do homework. The moms promised to call them back down when Callie called, but they felt the need to wait for and talk to Jude alone. They hoped he'd be home before Callie called; the timeline on them both was 'after dinner'.

Fortunately, they didn't have long to wait, as Jude soon walked in. He noticed them sitting in the living room, and said, "You don't have to tell me. Callie isn't coming home today."

"That's true. C'mere, sweetheart. Sit down, please," Stef gestured him to the couch between them.

"Is she coming home tomorrow? It's Friday, you promised if she wasn't home by the weekend, you'd let me visit her there."

"Jude, we do have news about Callie, but it's not what we were hoping. Callie was discharged from the hospital today, but Bill decided that the best place for her was a group home." Lena's voice was sad as she relayed the disappointing news.

"NO!"

"I'm so sorry, I know how much you wanted to see her, want her home."

"We all want her home," Stef added.

"But why? Why would he do that?"

"Somehow, we're not quite sure how, Bill found out about the kiss between Brandon and Callie, and he decided they couldn't be under the same roof."

Jude's face fell. "I'm sorry. If I had only told you sooner..."

"It's not your fault, Jude. We don't even know if the tip Bill received was from somebody telling the truth. We really don't know anything, so there's nothing you could have done differently."

"Am I going too, now?"

"What?"

"Callie does something, and a social worker comes to take us both away. It's how it always goes."

"No, of course not. Bill said there's nothing to indicate that you're going to be taken away."

"Oh, okay."

"We want you to know that this does not change anything. It does not change how much we love you," Lena reassured.

"And want to adopt you, okay?" Stef added, wrapping an arm around her youngest son's shoulders.

"But what about Callie?" Jude wanted to know.

"We're not giving up on either one of you. We're going to fight for her, too. We're going to figure this out. Both Brandon and Callie say that they want a brother-sister relationship, so that's what we're going to tell Bill. We're going to get her back." Stef said, kissing his forehead. "I promise."

"Callie's going to call tonight. You can say hello then, alright?"

"Okay." Just then, Stef's phone rang.

"This may be Callie. Hello?...Oh, thank God, it's you, Callie...just a sec, I'm going to put you on speaker. Jude and Lena are here, too."

"Callie!" Jude cried out.

"Jude, baby, I miss you so much. I love you."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's okay here. We just finished up dinner, and Rita said I could call you before starting the after dinner clean up. Are you okay?"

"I want to see you."

"I know, baby, I want to see you too. Next Saturday is Family Day, hopefully you can come them."

"Okay..."

Lena broke in. "Jude, sweetheart, I know you want to talk to Callie, but your siblings want to hear she's alright, too. Will you run upstairs and bring them down?"

"Sure. Don't let her go before I'm back."

"We'll keep her on the line," Stef assured. He raced upstairs, as if with wings on his feet. Stef turned to the phone. "He misses you. We all do. At least at the hospital, we could see you."

"I thought I was coming home, today. I really did. Bill was being vague, but I talked him and he seemed okay with it. Then he took me here and called me a liar."

"He called us. We talked to Brandon about it too. He confirmed it was a single kiss, no relationships, and that you guys were caught it a moment," Lena said.

"Yeah, a moment that's ruining everybody's life. I'm so sorry. I told you, I ruin everything I touch. Maybe...maybe you should just leave me here."

"No, Callie. No way," Stef said, vehemently. "You have brought joy and love into our house, not ruin. This is just a little bump in the road, but we're going to get out of it. We're going to fight for you. I told you that, we love you and we want you."

"Stef's right, Callie. You can't be thinking fatalistically right now. You've got to keep hope. You've got to take care of yourself, and you've got to be willing to fight for what you want, for what you deserve. What are you going to fight for Callie?"

"For you. To be part of your family. That's all I want, that's all I ever wanted, to find where I belong."

"Good girl. This is temporary. You'll be home in a little while. I'll bug Bill everyday, if that's what it takes." The sound of pounding feet upstairs alerted the moms that the rest of the kids were coming soon. "Kids are almost here."

"Good, Rita's motioning me to wrap it up."

"Is she listening in on your call?"

"Not really, but she's lurking."

"She said that there were Family Days on Saturdays, which is tomorrow, but you told Jude next week. Why?"

"I can't have visitors until I get my privileges. That's not going to happen right away."

"That's disappointing. Know that we love you. Wish you hadn't left your phone when you ran away."

"Yeah, I know. I'm beating myself up about that right now, too."

"We'll figure it out. Even if we have to convince Dr. Finch to tell Rita that part of your recovery necessitates daily phone calls with your family."

"Do you think you can?"

"I'll call her tomorrow myself. Kids are here."

A chorus of "Hi Callie!" rang out.

"We miss you," Mariana added.

"I miss you guys too."

"Are you alright?" Brandon asked.

"Yeah. They seem pretty reasonable here. A little strict, maybe, and they have a no violence rule, so I think I'll be safe."

"Moms are working on getting you home," Jesus said.

"They told me. Good. I wanna come home. Take care of Jude?"

"We will!" they said in tandem.

"Look, sorry, but I gotta go. Rita's motioning me. There's chores I have to do and stuff."

"Callie. We love you. Be strong," Stef said.

"I will. Bye!"

"Bye!" And the call ended. There was a brief silence in the Foster household.

"At least we know where she is, this time," Mariana said.

"Yeah, that's something," Jesus agreed.

"It's gonna be okay," Stef said.

"It's gotta be," Brandon said.


	3. Chapter 3 - Investigations (part 1)

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Fosters, only the plot and any characters you don't recognize from the show._

_Author's Note: I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update. Between school and work and family stuff, life was just a little crazy over the last few months. But it's spring break this week, and next quarter should be slightly better, so I hope to be updating more frequently. Thanks for sticking with me; it means a lot. Also, for the sake of getting to the good stuff, I'm going to gloss over most of where this story and the show come together (so imagine those scenes in your head, will you?) and spend more time on where they diverge, like Bill's investigations. If this is confusing, let me know and I'll tell the more complete story._

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**Chapter 3: Investigations (part I)**

The days blurred together as Callie got into the routine at Girls United. Wake up, breakfast, chores, school, homework, group therapy, more chores, bed. A brief altercation with Cole when Callie accidentally ran into him in the bathroom caused Rita to make them room together. That night she couldn't sleep, in fear that Cole might attack her, but her fears proved unfounded, and gradually she relaxed. She lost her privileges, but managed to gain them again in time for Family Day. Seeing everybody, especially Jude and Stef and Lena, was such a relief, even if Stef took her aside and practically interrogated her about Girls United. Stef also brought her old cell phone, and sneakily handed it off. Dr. Finch had came through and gotten Rita to agree to 15 minute phone calls with Stef or Lena every other day (not the kids, but at least she and Jude could pass messages through the moms), but Callie never felt completely free to talk as she had to take them in Rita's office. The phone Stef gave her afforded an immeasurable amount of security and peace of mind, though she had to be very careful to keep it hidden. She was finally able to talk to Brandon too, in a stolen moment, and they agreed that kiss meant nothing and they would just be best as siblings.

In addition to group therapy at the home, she was also seeing a therapist twice a week at a local mental health clinic. It was a woman that Bill knew (Callie had absolutely put her foot down when first presented with a male therapist), and while Callie talked to her because she knew the woman was reporting back to CPS, she also wasn't very comfortable with her for the same reason. Callie longed for Dr. Finch, whom she had grown to trust and like and who had been absolutely nonjudgmental. Dr. Finch had taken the time with her to build what she called a "therapeutic relationship", giving Callie the chance to talk, or not, and always listening. This woman was always on her, from day one, about the running away and the bridge incident and the cutting. From day two, she was starting to bring up things from Callie's file and wanting Callie to describe it in detail and how she felt about it and whether or not she thought she was an inherently violent person. And on day three, all she would talk about was Brandon, wanting details about every interaction between Callie and Brandon since Callie first arrived at the Fosters' home, and then cross-examining her for inconsistencies. That put Callie on edge, and rightly so, since two days later, Bill showed up again.

"Callie!" Rita's voice called up the stairs, reaching Callie as she was lying on her bed doing homework. "Would you come down here, please?"

Callie stuck a piece of paper in her book to mark her place and wandered downstairs, mentally cataloging her actions over the past day or two to figure out if she'd done anything that Rita might have an issue with. She came up empty, unless Rita had found her contraband phone – _please, let it not be that. _The sight of Bill sitting in the living room came as a surprise.

"Hi Callie," Bill greeted.

"Bill came by to check on you. I'll let you guys talk," Rita said, taking her leave. Callie glanced around her. Carmen and Kiara were sitting at the table, doing homework and noise from the kitchen indicated that at least one of the girls was in there, too. The complete lack of privacy, even to talk to her caseworker, irked her.

"So, how have you been?" Bill asked.

"Fine."

"Rita says you're settling in well."

"Yeah, it's not too bad here, I guess, for a group home."

"I know you'd rather go back to the Fosters. Rita says they were here to see you last weekend, and that Brandon came?"

"That's right. I enjoyed seeing my _family,_" she said, subtly emphasizing the last word.

"Yes, well, that won't happen again. I called immediately to tell them that you and Brandon are not to have any contact until the investigation has been complete. They may still come to see you if they want, but Brandon is not allowed within a hundred feet of you and there will be no contact by phone, letter, or email. Do you understand? I will get a restraining order if I have to, and you both will be arrested if you break it."

"I understand. It won't happen again. A restraining order is unnecessary."

"I hope so, Callie, I really do. Now, on the topic of Brandon, have you thought any more about coming clean about your relationship?"

"I was honest with you. If I were being dishonest, I would have denied even kissing him, but I didn't. I am taking full responsibility of my actions. That's a big thing here. We were caught up in a moment at the wedding and we kissed once. That's it. Look. I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of it. I know, foster siblings can't be romantically attracted because that's against your idea of the perfect little fake family. But enforcing sibling relationships on strangers just doesn't work. You've obviously never been in foster care, or you would know that. But let me tell you this – even if Brandon and I were interested that way in one another, which we are most certainly not, that would not even begin to be the most fucked up family you've ever put me and Jude in."

"Callie, language!"

"Sorry. But seriously. We've been in house where they've hit us, starved us, neglected us, kept us separate from the blood family. We've been in houses where the foster _parents_ have gotten handsy with the kids, never mind the foster siblings. And then there was Liam, and that was still considered 'a good house'. So don't you think you're blowing this whole thing out of whack? I mean, we finally find a soft place to land, and now you're swooping in to look into every little allegation and destroying it. Do you not think foster kids deserve to be happy. Who is your source anyway, that you would believe this person so much?" Callie's rant had started to draw a crowd, and Bill noticed.

"Callie, you need to calm down. Let's take this conversation outside, shall we?" He got up and walked out the front door, and Callie had no choice but to follow if she wanted answers. She was getting sick and tired of this shit, and really wanted to cut. Could she sneak away and 'use the bathroom'? Cutting would calm her down, and she thought she knew where a spare razor was. But no, she steeled herself, she must appear by all accounts to be doing well, and with no privacy and all this peer accountability crap, new scars would certainly reach Michelle or Rita and thus Bill. She settled for snapping the rubber band on her wrist hard a few times as she followed him to the porch. It wasn't the same, but it was something.

"We're outside," she told Bill, stating the obvious. "So?"

"Are you calm? We should be rational here."

"Yes, let's be rational."

"Callie, you know I care about your welfare. I've taken you out of homes before when they've been bad, including the one where, as you put it, the foster father got handsy with the kids."

"Right, after like ten separate girls complained about it."

"I'm sorry, Callie, but that is how things work. Too many times it's a case of he said-she said, so we need collaborating evidence. Or, we need eye-witnesses, like when I made a surprise visit to find that you and Jude had been left alone overnight with the refrigerator locked. I got you guys out of that situation, too."

"But this is supposed to be a system meant to protect the kids, not the foster parents. So why is it never our word that's taken seriously?"

"There's been a lot of reports, many false, and we try to take every one seriously, despite the fact that we just don't have the staff. But, I mean, even just last week, I had a case where a boy called to tell me that his foster parents were abusing him. In reality, they had grounded him after he stole 50 bucks from them and he wasn't responding well to the discipline. And they were still willing to keep him."

"Did you even check him out, to see if they had been beating him and they were lying?"

"Yes, Callie, we did. Doctors found one bruise on him, and there were about a dozen eyewitnesses who swore he got it while playing soccer in gym class. We are careful."

"Nobody checked out Jude after the incident with Jim in San Ysidro."

"The incident where you took a baseball bat to Jim's car and then went a little wild as he tried to restrain you? He said you hit Jude, unintentionally, while you were flailing about. Jude didn't contradict him."

"I NEVER hit my brother. I would never hit him." Callie started snapping the band against her wrist again, harder and harder. Did he really think she'd hurt Jude? How many times had she gotten between him and someone who was going to hurt him? How many times had she put herself in harm's way just to keep him safe? How many times had she gone to bed hungry so he wouldn't have to?

"I believe you wouldn't intentionally hurt him, Callie," Bill said, placating her.

"I never hit him. Jude was scared to death of that man. That's why he didn't say anything."

"Then why did you destroy his car, Callie? You had to know it would mean you'd be taken away from there, and leave Jude alone with a man he was scared of, according to you."

"He was hurting Jude." How could she get it into his dense head? "I couldn't think of any other way to stop him."

"There was no evidence of that, no collaborating stories, no witnesses. And violence is never the answer."

"Well, what about when he held a gun at us and Brandon?"

"You and Brandon Foster were trespassing on his property. He had reason to fear you might hurt him, given your last encounter. However, the gun wasn't licensed, and CPS doesn't usually like when foster parents have weapons, especially ones that are not locked up safely in gun safes. What if a child got their hands on it, and brought it to school? We could have another Columbine on our hands. That would be a tragedy."

"Right. It's always the kids fault."

"Unfortunately, it just seems to end up that way. But we do try our best. You say I don't believe you? I removed Sarah from the Olmsteads' after you told Stef and Lena Foster about Liam. I know you didn't want to get in trouble, or maybe you changed your mind after the fact, but as we've been saying, foster siblings are not allowed any kind of relationship and we take claims like that very seriously."

"I didn't change my mind after the fact. I never wanted that."

"Again, Callie, it was a case of he said-she said, and that's not that much anyone can do about that. You took it to court, you lost, I'm sorry. But we can't have you engaging another foster brother in a relationship."

"I'm not. You're not telling me who your source is, are you?"

"I'm afraid that's confidential."

"Then will you tell me why you think it's so credible?"

"The person in question gave a statement about the kiss you admitted to, and also about some interactions between you and Brandon Foster in the past that seemed to be collaborated. Also, they are connected to some people higher up the food-chain who have taken a personal interest in this case. Let's just say that my supervisor really doesn't want some horrible, taken-out-of-context story about the failures of CPS in the Sunday news."

"So it's someone nearby us, and you're trying to keep your nose clean."

"That's a gross oversimplification. We're doing this by the book." He took a pencil and pad of paper out of his pocket. "Now, if you're willing to go at this calmly and rationally, I would like you to go over, in detail, your interactions with Brandon Foster from the first time you set foot in the Foster household."

"Don't you have that from my shrink? She made me do that two days ago."

"Your interactions with Dr. Green are confidential."

"Yeah right. I know she answers to you."

"She sends me a report after each session, yes, but the details of it remain between you and her. I'd rather not have to go the route of requisitioning her notes from your sessions."

Callie wasn't quite sure he wasn't lying, but decided to play along, to see where it would lead. "Fine. From the beginning?"

"Yes please."

"When Lena brought me home, Brandon wasn't even there. He was at a piano audition, I think. I met Jesus and Mariana first. When Brandon came home, he welcomed me. I asked if he came from the 99 cent store." She blushed slightly. "Not my finest moment, I admit. I borrowed his phone – without his consent – to try to call Jude, since that incompetent guy – what's his name? – didn't even know who I was talking about when I asked about Jude."

"His name was David, and he's not incompetent, he just got asked to do that at the last possible moment and didn't have time to read your file. And I'm sorry about that Callie, really I am. I should have made sure to get you connected with Jude right away. Things might have gone differently if I had."

Callie nodded, accepting his apology though she still thought David was an idiot. "The following day, Lena asked him to show me around school a little. We talked about music. I met his girlfriend, Talya. It was by chance that he saw me sneaking out and by chance again that I was around when he got a phone call from Jude in San Ysidro, and though I argued with him, he insisted upon coming with me to see my brother. I convinced him not to call his moms because I didn't want to get in trouble and get sent away, like back to juvie..." She continued in this vein, reliving much of the past few months with the Fosters and with Brandon. Her story perfectly matched the one she'd given her shrink, even down to her telling Brandon that foster siblings weren't allowed to date. She tried to keep it as honest as possible, because she didn't want to leave something out and have it come back and bite her in the ass later, but she did spin a few incidents in the least threatening way possible. The only thing she kept back was that Stef had told her at the hospital that if they could work something out if she and Brandon wanted to pursue a romantic relationships. Did Dr. Finch know that? She had talked to Dr. Finch about Brandon, and they'd kept it from Bill. Did Dr. Finch know that Stef and Lena knew? Would she tell Bill?

"...thank you, Callie." Bill had been talking; she'd missed the beginning of what he'd said, caught up in her own mind. Hopefully, it wasn't important.

"Now what?"

"I have to talk to a few other people, but I'll be in touch."

"That's all you have to say? I've just spent an hour reliving the past few months and that's all you have to say?"

"For now. I will tell you that if your story checks out, and there are no, hmmm, red flags or other problems, that you might be in the clear to return to the Fosters."

"Really?"

"I said might."

"I'll take that."

"I still have to speak with Stef, Lena, Brandon, Mariana, Jesus, Jude, your therapists, maybe some of your teachers..."

"My teachers? Why?"

"To see how you and Brandon interacted at school. Does that worry you?"

"Are you going to tell them everything? I mean, I'm hoping to go back to that school, I mean, once I get home and all. I don't want them knowing all the details of my life, you know."

"Your privacy will be protected as much as possible."

"Thank you. I'd appreciate that."

"Well, I'm going to go now. As I said, I'll be touch."

"Soon?"

"When it's time. I hope to keep seeing good progress reports about you here."

"Okayyy."

"Good bye, Callie."

"Bye Bill." She stayed on the porch, watching him get into his car and drive away. Then she stayed on the porch a little while longer. No doubt this whole business with Bill would be brought up in group this afternoon, but she just didn't feel like dealing with anyone right now. Except maybe Stef. Or Lena. Thoughts about her last few months with them were swirling around in her head after her talk with Bill. She just wanted to go home. He said she might. Would she? Dare she hope so much? What if everything didn't work out? Things never seemed to work out. Lena told her not to think fatalistically. Fine, she wouldn't. She'd hope. She'd fight.

After all, if it didn't work out, there was always a way out. A bridge. A tall building. A cliff into the water. Flight.


End file.
